• When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last summer, US Coast Guard ships and Chinese fishing boats were engaged in a standoff near the coast of Ecuador. On a mission to stop illegal fishing in the Pacific, the Coast Guard attempted to board Chinese fishing vessels to look for signs of illegal and unregulated fishing, in an area of threatened fish stocks. The Coast Guard mission was prompted by complaints from Latin American governments and eco-activists of overfishing by China’s fishing fleet.
(“China Fishing Fleet Defied US in Standoff in High Seas,” Associated Press, Nov. 1, 2022)
• The nation of Namibia in southern Africa is working to overcome decades of underdevelopment by building a large renewable energy project to produce green hydrogen for making ammonia, an important industrial chemical. Led by German investment of $9.4 billion, the project could jump start the nation’s economy and serves as a symbol of Africa’s untapped potential for renewable energy.
(“Powering Africa,” Economist, Nov. 3, 2022)
• A decade ago, Superstorm Sandy crashed into the New York/ New Jersey coast delivering a wake-up call about a new era of extreme weather events driven by climate change. The storm left 70,000 housing units uninhabitable in New York City. Sandy hit many working-class immigrant communities in the outer boroughs and flooded the subway system in lower Manhattan.
(“10 Years After Sandy, Renters Remain the Most Vulnerable to the Impacts of Climate Change,” The Nation, Oct. 28, 2022)
This week’s News Summary was narrated by Anna Manzo.
